October 2008

All the guidebooks touted Argentine ice cream as being the finest in the world. So, for the past few months while planning our trip to Argentina I’ve been anxiously awaiting the chance to try this deliciousness. Well, I’ve been in Buenos Aires for one week and sampled 5 different ice cream flavors at 2 ice cream shops and so far I’m a little disappointed.

I’ve had Argentine ice cream before, but in the U.S. Specifically, countless times at Dolcezza in Georgetown, Washington DC. At Dolcezza the ice cream was delicious. The flavors rich and fresh and the ice cream creamy. So, I expected it to be even better than this in Argentina itself.

Both the places I have tried ice cream in Argentina so far have been good, but not great. The helado consistency is bizarre. It’s creamy and icy at the same time. The taste is a little icy but the consistency on the spoon is creamy. Elastically is probably the best way to describe it. When I try to take a bite with the little gelato spoons the ice cream doesn’t break free but instead stretches out — much like cheese on a pizza. This in and of itself makes ice cream a little frustrating.

The flavors are good, but I haven’t had any that I would highly recommend. I’ll likely post some specific reviews in the near future.

One of the biggest disappointments is the price. Almost everything in Argentina is far cheaper than you would find in the States. You can get an amazing steak for $7-10 US dollars. An entire pizza (quite popular with the Italian influence here) is $4-7 US dollars. An empanadas — small cheese and meat filled pastries, 3-4 would equal an entire meal — are $1 each. So image my surprise when ice cream is the the same price, if not more than what you would pay in the US. One cone/cup is about $4 US dollars!

Now, I’m not exactly complaining. The ice cream could be terrible. Or worse yet could be non-existent. I guess I just had my hopes up.